Forum - Newbies - dimensions & how long should my strings be to start?

grcleven

Bracelet King

4 years, 8 months ago by grcleven

Hey friends! I’m just starting out making bracelets and I am confused haha. What do the dimensions on the pattern mean? Is that the finished size? Ex: 17x105. What does that mean? And how do I know how long to cut the strings when I’m starting?

knottahti

Moderator

4 years, 8 months ago by knottahti

dimensions represent the number of knots, so that pattern would be 72 by 105 knots. for most normal pattern bracelets, if you are making a loop (doubling the strings) make them about 5-6 feet.

allierae54

Bracelet King

4 years, 8 months ago by allierae54

So, 17 is how wide it will be and 105 is how long it will be (17 knots wide, 105 knots long)

Margaron

Moderator

4 years, 8 months ago by Margaron

Dimensions are really more useful for alpha patterns than they are for normal patterns. In an alpha pattern, you could see 'Dimensions: 10 x 90 and Strings: 11' which would mean the actually finished pattern will be 10 knots wide and run for 90 rows. Due to the nature of the way alphas are tied you need one string that does the knotting that doesn't get knotted on, hence the 'Strings: 11' while the dimensions read 10 wide and account for your base strings. Meaning you can look at this and know you should have 10 base strings and 1 knotting string. After repeat use, you can get the general idea of how long 90 rows are and how long the entire pattern will be. This is great because you can get a general idea of what you're looking at in a glance.

Normal patterns, however, you might see something more like 'Dimensions: 12 x 7 and Strings: 24'. This is because in normal patterns your strings knot with each other, meaning at any given time you will only have 12 knots in a row but be using 24 strings. Meaning your bracelet would be like the equivalent of a 13 string alpha. Also, due to the nature of normal patterns, if the pattern repeats and/or alternates colour you may find that only 7 rows are shown. This actually means the KNOTTING pattern is only seven rows long before it repeats. Making this information a little useless because that's not reflected in the pattern preview and is obviously not enough to complete a bracelet with. This leads to the next thing which is, for the most part, the normal pattern preview repeats too many times and would be far too large for a regular bracelet (at least for my own wrist). Leaving math as your only option to help determine string length- how many times does the knotting pattern fit into a general row count length of bracelet you like?

mmalone

Bracelet King

4 years, 8 months ago by mmalone

the 17 and 105 are the numbers of knots that you’re making in one rotation of the pattern. i usually don’t pay any attention to it, but some do. just find what works best for you. i usually measure my string from the tip of my fingers to the opposite hands shoulder. for example, if i’m measuring with the tip of my right hand, then i cut the string at the start of my left shoulder. does that make sense?

grcleven Bracelet King	4 years, 8 months ago by grcleven Hey friends! I’m just starting out making bracelets and I am confused haha. What do the dimensions on the pattern mean? Is that the finished size? Ex: 17x105. What does that mean? And how do I know how long to cut the strings when I’m starting?
knottahti Moderator	4 years, 8 months ago by knottahti dimensions represent the number of knots, so that pattern would be 72 by 105 knots. for most normal pattern bracelets, if you are making a loop (doubling the strings) make them about 5-6 feet.
allierae54 Bracelet King	4 years, 8 months ago by allierae54 So, 17 is how wide it will be and 105 is how long it will be (17 knots wide, 105 knots long)
Margaron Moderator	4 years, 8 months ago by Margaron Dimensions are really more useful for alpha patterns than they are for normal patterns. In an alpha pattern, you could see 'Dimensions: 10 x 90 and Strings: 11' which would mean the actually finished pattern will be 10 knots wide and run for 90 rows. Due to the nature of the way alphas are tied you need one string that does the knotting that doesn't get knotted on, hence the 'Strings: 11' while the dimensions read 10 wide and account for your base strings. Meaning you can look at this and know you should have 10 base strings and 1 knotting string. After repeat use, you can get the general idea of how long 90 rows are and how long the entire pattern will be. This is great because you can get a general idea of what you're looking at in a glance. Normal patterns, however, you might see something more like 'Dimensions: 12 x 7 and Strings: 24'. This is because in normal patterns your strings knot with each other, meaning at any given time you will only have 12 knots in a row but be using 24 strings. Meaning your bracelet would be like the equivalent of a 13 string alpha. Also, due to the nature of normal patterns, if the pattern repeats and/or alternates colour you may find that only 7 rows are shown. This actually means the KNOTTING pattern is only seven rows long before it repeats. Making this information a little useless because that's not reflected in the pattern preview and is obviously not enough to complete a bracelet with. This leads to the next thing which is, for the most part, the normal pattern preview repeats too many times and would be far too large for a regular bracelet (at least for my own wrist). Leaving math as your only option to help determine string length- how many times does the knotting pattern fit into a general row count length of bracelet you like?
mmalone Bracelet King	4 years, 8 months ago by mmalone the 17 and 105 are the numbers of knots that you’re making in one rotation of the pattern. i usually don’t pay any attention to it, but some do. just find what works best for you. i usually measure my string from the tip of my fingers to the opposite hands shoulder. for example, if i’m measuring with the tip of my right hand, then i cut the string at the start of my left shoulder. does that make sense?

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dimensions & how long should my strings be to start?